Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Stock Price Down 0.9%

Shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) fell 0.9% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $148.39 and last traded at $148.79. 1,807,310 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 6,994,059 shares. The stock had previously closed at $150.20.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $172.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $170.00 to $169.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $181.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, February 28th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Johnson & Johnson presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $177.31.

Johnson & Johnson Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $355.61 billion, a PE ratio of 10.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.00.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 23rd. The company reported $2.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.28 by $0.01. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 37.27% and a net margin of 37.79%. The business had revenue of $21.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.35 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Johnson & Johnson

In related news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at $105,810,030.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other Johnson & Johnson news, major shareholder & Johnson Johnson sold 3,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.81, for a total value of $96,142.25. Following the sale, the insider now owns 4,099,575 shares in the company, valued at approximately $105,810,030.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Taubert sold 59,397 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.27, for a total value of $9,281,969.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 141,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,099,078.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Johnson & Johnson

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. DLK Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. DLK Investment Management LLC now owns 31,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,987,000 after buying an additional 1,326 shares during the period. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Beech Hill Advisors Inc. now owns 19,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,137,000 after buying an additional 439 shares during the period. Evanson Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Evanson Asset Management LLC now owns 13,731 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,172,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 2,854 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 5,950 shares of the company’s stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.